Over the last several months, we have traveled to more than a dozen community colleges across North Carolina. North Carolina’s community college system is the third largest in the country, with 58 institutions spread across the depth and breadth of the state.
From Tri-County Community College, which is closer to three other state capitals than it is Raleigh, to the College of the Albemarle on the coast, to Central Piedmont Community College which has a campus situated right in the heart of Charlotte, the community college system reaches far and wide.
Recently, our travels carried us to Nash Community College in Rocky Mount and Pitt Community College in Greenville.
Our @ReachNCVoices team visited @NashCC and @PittCC to see what the @NCCommColleges system is offering to their communities. Check out their twitter, give them a follow and join in the journey as they amplify the stories of North Carolinians. #ReachNCVoices pic.twitter.com/IcoEApM6iX
— EducationNC (@EducationNC) May 8, 2018
Dr. Bill Carver, Dr. Trent Mohrbutter, and the whole Nash Community College team welcomed us to start the day. Dr. Carver opened his remarks by pointing out the various firsts that Nash Community College has undertaken, including: the launch of an Associates in Engineering, becoming the first campus in North Carolina to have Single Stop, and the upcoming launch of their veterinary tech program, which will be the first of its kind in eastern North Carolina.
The electric lineman training program graduates students with immediate jobs. Any company that has something to do with a utility looks to @NashCC for workers. #highered #NCcommunitycollege @NCCommColleges pic.twitter.com/TDo8nzsLwO
— Reach NC Voices (@ReachNCVoices) May 8, 2018
#AdvancedManufacturing at @NashCC instructors focus on trouble shooting. Students create, proof, input, then solve real work problems. #highered #NCcommunity @NCCommColleges pic.twitter.com/WYSMaNuXNf
— Reach NC Voices (@ReachNCVoices) May 8, 2018
We stopped be the @NashCC @SingleStop offices and heard from their staff and one in particular who has benefitted from the services. @NashCC taking a holistic approach to their students. #singlestop #highered @NCCommColleges pic.twitter.com/0ukRZmGWa2
— Reach NC Voices (@ReachNCVoices) May 8, 2018
Later in the day, we traveled to Pitt County, where we were treated to Sam Jones BBQ. Michael Letchworth even took us into the smokehouse to see the pits in action. At EdNC, we believe visiting restaurants, coffee shops, and roadside stands on these community college trips provides our audience with a more well-rounded snapshot of the communities where these institutions live.
Dr. Massey, Susan Nobles, and the entire Pitt Community College team welcomed us immediately after. We were also joined by students from Pitt who were enrolled in the VISIONS program.
Titus, one of the students who joined us, summed up the program and the role Pitt had played in his life when he declared, “This whole experience has opened up so many doors. The VISIONS program has given me the opportunity to build pathways towards not just a job, but a career. They have also provided me with the culture and support I need to seize the opportunities ahead.”
We are chatting with some @PittCC Vision students. These scholars are about to graduate from nursing school, start nursing school and move onto a four-year university. #highered #NCcommunitycollege pic.twitter.com/TauZtUErx4
— Reach NC Voices (@ReachNCVoices) May 8, 2018
